It's a difficult world to visit, the present-day Saudi Arabia of Nayir and Katya, where women are hidden and hurt, the police are an uneven mix of mostly corrupt and some intrepid officers, and the rich are very rich indeed. A string of murders challenges the society's view of itself –– that their religion and their strict laws prevent a Saudi serial killer from ever developing. But a slew of bodies of visiting workers –– female, most from the Far East –– belies that belief.

The unlikely duo of medical examiner Katya and private investigator/desert guide Nayir continue to engage me –– their cultural differences from that of the West at once alien and but not inexplicable, their growing affection and understanding both awkward and risky –– and I look forward to their next foray.

Enjoyed the writing style and learning more about the Saudi culture and Islam. Really liked most of the characters. I was nervous that it would get highly predictable with who the killer was but was then also somewhat disappointed when it wasn’t. Guess I was looking for more of a plot twist than “oh we found him”. But overall it was an entertaining read, very well paced and never really a dull moment.

I am sad because this is the end of the series. It was sooo good. Some may say the ending was predictable but within the Arab culture, specifically Muslim, it couldn't really have gone any other way without there being some social issues. All in all, absolutely amazing series.

This series is absolutely brilliant. A fascinating look at the lives of Saudi Arabian women and a great mystery series.

A fun murder mystery with a healthy dose of Saudi culture thrown in.

I really enjoyed Zoe Ferraris’ latest novel. I love that her novels feature an interesting and strong protagonist, Katya Hijazi. Katya lives in Saudi Arabia and is barely able to do her job as a police lab technician due to the immense restrictions on Saudi women. She bristles under those restrictions, but she is no Westerner. She’s thoroughly a product of her culture, and takes a balanced and logical critique to her culture’s restrictions on women. The fact that Ferraris lived in Saudi Arabia seems to help her portray (what seems like) an accurate perspective of a Saudi woman. All of this is set against the back-drop of Katya’s work in doing her best to assist in solving the latest in a series of grisly crimes and to figure out whether she should marry a man she cares for but whom she fears is perhaps too traditional to ultimately support her career goals.

I loved this series but this book was probably the least satisfying. The serial killing mystery was interesting enough but definitely was second fiddle to the story of the missing mistress (the conclusion to which wasn’t super well developed).

But my biggest complaint: WHERE WAS NAYIR? He doesn’t show up til page 50 and then only a handful more times. We hear about Kayta’s misgivings about the wedding without really getting Nayir’s POV and yet everything is peachy by the wedding in the last chapter. Over all a sad end for these characters who I’d really come to cherish!

Kingdom of Strangers by Zoe Ferraris

This is the last in the trilogy, at least so far, I would love the author to write some more following their adventures or normal lives, depending on how you look at it. Of the two main characters of these three books. Katya (the forensic scientist) has much more of a role in this one, much more than Nahir (the bedoin guide).

Katya and her co-workers are trying to resolve the murder of 19 women over a period of over 10 years. The author delves a little more into Saudi Arabia life and its intricacies, which most of us have no idea of. This novel is a little darker than the others.
Again there is the presence of an American woman, this time she has come to help with the profiling of a serial killer, but as with all the others, there is another story running alongside with the disappearance of an ex co worker of one of the lead detective of the case.

You will understand, a little more about life in Arab states, about how life is difficult being segregated from men and the lives they have to lead.

This is a great book, best in the series, a cosy murder mystery with no violence or harsh words, and I was glad too read the ending, nice and happy, even though it was a little abrupt. Highly recommended book, but read the other two first, as this will help you understand the relationship between Katya and Nayir. These three books have come to be favourites of mine. Loved the cover and the title, it refers to all the migrant workers living, often in the most terrible conditions, in the country.

Once again, Ferraris failed to disappoint with this third installment of the Nayir Sharqi & Katya Hijazi series.

I enjoyed the interplay between the main characters, as well as the side characters, immensely. My only small complaint is that I wish there were more interplay between Nayir and Katya in this book. I didn't feel like I saw enough Nayir in this book.

For not being written by an own voices author, Ferraris became as intimately connected with the lives of Saudis as you can get, portraying characters with depth and sensitivity. I liked her modern twist on making Katya, the female lead the more modern and progressive character and making Nayir the more traditional and conservative partner.

I will definitely will recommend this series to anyone looking for realistic fiction set in a different culture.

A lot of this book seems to hit home yet also manages to rub me off in the wrong way if that makes sense. I think I'm finally appreciating the author now, having read the final installation of this series. It’s really an outsider’s perspective on a culture/ country that is so closed off to the rest of the world. It's definitely interesting how our backgrounds affect our perception of the world, the way we see everything, and the way perspectives really matter in understanding those around us.

It’s a West meets East scenario where Ferraris has tried her best to understand a culture yet can’t help narrating it through her mind’s eye. I chose not to get riled up by the insufferable amount of inaccuracies and misrepresentation and focus on the actual mystery and plot and perhaps it's the only reason why I could enjoy this read.

I'd love to read more of the author's works if she were to research better for I loved the writing but hated the representation.